The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lycianthes plant, botanically known as Solanum rantonnetii, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name `Variegated Splash`.
The new Lycianthes is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of an unidentified selection of Solanum rantonnetii (not patented) with solid green leaves. The new Lycianthes was discovered and selected by the Inventor in 1998, within a population of plants of the unidentified Solanum rantonnetii selection grown in a cultivated area in Irvine, Calif. The new Lycianthes was selected on the basis of its unique variegated foliage.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Irvine, Calif., has shown that the unique features of this new Lycianthes are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.